Eris's dance

"Ah! I'm exhausted!"

Rudeus came into the sitting room, where Radeus was lounging on the sofa, reading a book and drinking tea in perfect comfort.

Seeing Rudeus enter, Radeus put down his book, took a sip of tea, and asked what had happened.

He looked so at home that anyone who didn't know better might have thought the place belonged to him.

"What's wrong?"

"Eris, what else? She absolutely refuses to learn the dance for her birthday party. She always runs off halfway through."

Rudeus complained about his experiences over the past month. Ever since accepting this side quest, he had spent every day either looking for Eris or on his way to look for her.

Meanwhile, Radeus had it easy, spending his days reading books and drinking tea, enjoying himself immensely.

"Does she really have to learn this dance? If she doesn't want to, let her skip it. It's not like she needs to know it, right?"

Radeus didn't quite understand why anyone needed to know how to dance at their own birthday party.

Shouldn't they be sitting in the seat of honor, watching a bunch of clowns below dance and perform acrobatics, doing everything they could to entertain them?

Then, at the end, they could finish with, "I've had my fill of laughter. You may all leave!"

How had it ended up the other way around? Didn't they know Eris was the young lady of House Boreas?

"Exactly, exactly! Radeus is right! I'm not learning it!"

Eris appeared out of nowhere and stood behind Radeus.

"Eris!"

"I know dancing isn't your strong suit, but according to your customs, there'll be a part of your birthday party where people ask you to dance. If you dance badly, it could embarrass House Boreas. You don't want to put your grandfather in an awkward position, do you?"

Rudeus spoke helplessly. Who knew why a noble's birthday had to be so complicated? Wasn't this just making life difficult for Eris?

It was only a dance. Couldn't they make an exception and skip it this time?

Didn't old Sauros know Eris simply wasn't cut out for dancing?

"Hey, hey, hey, my Japanese internet friend who's living the good life, please calm down."

Hearing the keywords automatically triggered Radeus's response mechanism.

"Can't they cancel it?"

"No. Apparently, old Sauros insisted on it..."

"That old man keeps coming up with pointless nonsense!"

"Don't say bad things about Grandpa!"

Hearing the two of them criticize her grandfather, Eris immediately sprang forward.

"All right, all right, young lady. We'll stop."

The two stopped complaining about old Sauros.

"Are the dance steps difficult?"

"Not overall. It's just that Eris keeps getting ahead of the beat, so the steps don't connect."

Radeus nodded and spoke to Eris.

"Eris, are you absolutely determined not to dance?"

"It's not that I'm absolutely determined. I'm just not very good at it..."

In a rare display, Eris blushed and answered bashfully.

After all, she really didn't want to embarrass her grandfather.

"I see. Eris, a senior I once knew, who was a bit strange in the head, said, 'If you choose something you already know how to do from the start, there's no point to it.' (From Grand Blue.)

"So you don't need to be afraid. You've still got Rudeus and me, haven't you?"

"Then let me ask you again. Do you still want to practice dancing?"

"Yes!"

This time, Eris's voice was much firmer than before.

Hey, hey, hey, is this the power of a veteran anime nerd? The memorable quotes just keep coming. Your talk-no-jutsu is already on par with a shonen protagonist's.

Watching Eris find her motivation in just a few words, Rudeus directed his quip at Radeus.

Can't help it. Falling in love with your Uncle Radeus is only human nature!

?!! G-gay!!?

Radeus stopped bantering with Rudeus and turned back to Eris.

"Very good. Then I'll help you!"

"Can you dance with Rudeus once here, right now?"

"Here?"

"Yes. I'll point out any problems."

Do you even know how?

Rudeus expressed his doubts. Radeus had never even seen this dance before. Could he spot what was wrong?

It's just a matter of Eris getting ahead of the beat. Whether I know the dance has nothing to do with it. Nothing has sharper powers of observation than my Six Eyes.

"All right!"

Eris nodded. She held Radeus in considerable respect. Facing him always felt like facing Ghislaine; he gave off a mature, steady air, though he did act foolish from time to time.

"Here we go!"

Rudeus and Eris began dancing right there.

"..."

When the dance ended, Radeus's assessment was that it had been an utter disaster.

"Eris, I think I've more or less figured out why you're getting ahead of the beat. You're unconsciously using your sword-practice footwork. So you just need to do the dance steps as though you're dodging attacks, probably?"

Radeus offered a rather uncertain suggestion. He didn't know whether it would work.

"Now that you mention it, you're right. Eris's footwork is pretty much the same as when she attacks. If I guide her, that might just solve the problem of her getting ahead of the beat."

Rudeus thought of a way to improve Eris's timing.

"Let's try again!"

"Okay!"

This time, Eris was clearly much better than before and made far fewer mistakes. At least she could finish the dance normally now. Whether it was any good was another matter.

"I did it!"

Eris was delighted. This was the first time she had successfully completed the dance.

"There shouldn't be much trouble at the party now. Just practice some more. Speaking of which, when does the party start?"

Radeus had been reading so much lately that he couldn't quite remember when it started. It felt like being back in his master's program, reading academic papers every day.

It had been the same back then. When he started reading, it was daytime, and when he looked up again, it was still daytime. At first, he had even thought he was reading very quickly.

Then he checked the date. Good grief, it was daytime the next day! Well, that explained it!

Even his enemies would have let go of their grudges if they'd seen how he lived.

"Tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?!!"

Radeus was stunned. Did that mean Eris had to dance tomorrow, when she had only just learned how today? It felt a little hopeless!

"Good luck!"

All Radeus could offer was a blessing. The rest depended entirely on how she did tomorrow.

"But her partner tomorrow won't necessarily be me. Will Eris manage?"

Rudeus addressed Radeus.

"Then just beat everyone else to it and secure the spot as her dance partner."

Radeus's suggestion was simple and blunt.

The next day, the inevitable arrived. Preparations began early in the mansion, with the venue being decorated and food being prepared for the party.

Before long, Radeus and Rudeus arrived at the venue dressed in the formal attire of this world's nobility.

Before coming, Radeus had glanced at himself in the mirror and nearly died from his own good looks!

Another day of waking up to my own handsomeness! Radeus thought smugly.

As for Rudeus, in Radeus's eyes, he merely looked presentable and wasn't even a fraction as handsome as he was.

He had clearly forgotten that he and Rudeus were twins. Apart from their eye color and height, there was no difference in their looks.

Today, Eris stood beside Sauros in a white formal dress, her hair tied up in a single ponytail, looking every bit a princess.

Many nobles attended the party, all hoping to befriend House Boreas. They had even made a point of bringing their children along so they could please Eris during the dancing and use that opportunity to establish ties with House Boreas.

It had to be said, as expected of noble daughters, every one of them was as pretty as a flower. What about the men, you asked?

Who the hell cared about them?!

Were there really men who looked at other men instead of enjoying the sight of beautiful women?

Were they from Chengdu?

Had he come all the way to another world only for gay men to keep chasing him?